Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-08-20
THE 8IORGUEs.

in different directions were the corpses of
men, women and children, dressed IN the
clothing in which they had met their death
In the empty store, room twenty feet wide
and forty feet long, were counted twenty
seven corpses at one time. Their clothing
was torn and disheveled and their 5titfened
hands and arms, in a majority OF instances,
were crossed over their breasts. The heads
OF the dead We're generally mangled In the
most Ir1ghtful manner, and we're always
covered with some article Of clothing.
BEYOND IDENTIFICATION.
The face OF a young woman who was lying
on the floor of the depot had been so beaten
IN by the cruel car timbeTs that recognition
was entirely out Of the question, and her
brains and the flesh of her face were a pulpy
mass, in which dabbled her long red hair.
She was not identified.
A man with a heavy dark mOustache, and
who was apparently about 30 years of age
had Len struck In the face by some sub
stance which had torn away his jaw and the
side of his face, leaving his throat and the
lower part of his face exposed.
A 5-yeaI-Old boy with a chubby face and
curly hair, looked cOntented and smiling.
His legs were not alone broken, but his flesh
was SO mangled that it had the appearance
OF raw beef. his chest was crushed IN and
his body covered with bruises.
Nearly every corpse was mangled or dis
figured. The faces of some of the dead
were as black as though they had died by
suffOcatiOn, while others were deathly white
THE NUMBER KILLED.
Estimates of the dead this morning are
about the same as the figures sent out last
night. The coroner S list, revised up to the
time the inquest was resumed to-day, fOOts
up seVenty-slZ. Notwithstanding contrary
opinions expressed by railroad officials,
survey of the wreck early to-day confirmed
the belief that several bodies are still under
the debris of the smashed engines and cars.
The report yesterday that twenty dead were
at Piper City IS denled this morning by the
president of the road. Three or four Of the
wounded carried to Piper City yesterday
died there, however, SO that with the seven
ty-six on the cOrOner's list here and those
supposed to be yet under the wreck, an estl-
mate OF eighty deaths appears TO be very
close to the actual number.
TIE HORRORS DEEPENING.
The horrors of the wreck seemed to be
deepening this morning, instead of lessen
ing Added to the pICiable spectacle of the
dead and miseries of the dying stencil sick
eningly foul was issuing from all the num-
srOus places where cOEDses OF the victims
vet remained. No picture of the horrible Oc-
currences Immediately succeeding the acc1-
dent could equal in revolving details the
scene at the Toledo, Peoria q Western de-
pot here to-day.
At the west end of the little structure is a
coal house and lumber room, where Qromls-
cuOusly stretched on the floor and IN the
rubbish were seven unidentified BODIES.
BlOOdstaIne, bedraggled sheets and blankets
were thrown loosely over each, but afforded
/ little protection from the sWarms OF flies
| which were continuously lowering over them.
| The awful OdOr emanatlng from the BODIES
| efsctually kept the room clear OF all but the
| hardest of the still lingering, anxious or
| curious crowds.
a SIGHT TO BE REMEMBERED.
Two of the victims were women, and the
/ sight of their faces was one never to be for
| gotten. The distorted features, Wlde-starlng
! eyes and purifying wounds were gazed at
| but for an instant, even by those looking for
| a missing mother and daughter. In lew
/ hours one OF them, a young woman OF ugnI5
| reddish hair, would be absolutely unrecog-
] niZabl6 from the effects or the heat. Close
/ by her, raised above the other seven cOrpses
! in the room, was the dead body of a pOrtly
] man, supported by couple of old boxes.
| He was IN his stocking feet and coatiess and
l was rapidly decay1ng. The other dead men
[ on the floor were in nearly as bad cOndl-
/ ton.
BAGGAGE IN CHAOS.
Outside of the platform of the depot were
several collins filed with those identified
1 during the night and now awaiting ship
ment. The east end OF the depot was III
even worse condition than the west nOOrl
| strewn with unclaimed baggage, and mex
[ tricable little knots of people were
| DOring over broken satchels of sOlleC
| and torn under wear and tFumpery, bringing
to light here a little Infants garments anl
/ there the crumpled remains of a widows
bonnet.
AWAITING IDENTIFICATION.
A little down the road is a large, vacant
| furniture store IN which thirteen cOrpses
were living. Only six of them were men; the
! others were women and children. Most OF
the thirteen had not yet been recOg
niZed by friends and their cOun
tenances were so muulated and theI
clothing so drabbled with dirt and blood
that It is doubtful If they ever can be recOg
nized.
One pretty little woman terribly mangled
/ lay mOtionless beside a babe, toward which
she was partly turned
| Across the room was stalWart man prone
on his back, dead, but with his right arm
still raised IN agony and his INST tlghtl!
Clenched.
over in the big school house two NOR
corpses were still uncOfhned, awaiting
claimants.
THE UNCLAIMED DEAD.
With the consent of the coroner, Presi
| dent Leonard has arranged that the IN
claimed bodies viii be cared for, washed an'
/ placed in collins and conveyed to Peoria
| where with all their effects, they Will avail
| Identification. The bodies viii be kept Their
/ as long as possible and then, If not ldeuu
! fed VIII be inferred. President LeOnart
/ and Superintendent Armstrong viii 60 Z
Piper City this morning and care for tn
wounded there.
stil Another Accident
TERRE HAUrE, IND. August PA com
l bination train on the Evansville IL In
diarapOlis road went through a WOOdel
/ cuivert at Saline City, twenty miles iron
I here this morning. The engine and 1ifteel
freight cars passed over 1t safely, but i CAV
| way under the one passenger coach. Their